Dihlabeng mayor cites Cyril as the ‘biggest stinking sellout’
Screenshots have emerged of a combative and unapologetic ANC mayor in Dihlabeng Local Municipality in the eastern Free State calling President Cyril Ramaphosa a sellout.
Mayor Lindiwe Kambule Makhalema was responding to a question posed by a fellow party member in a group that only allows Facebook users verified as loyal ANC members through a vetting process. The group currently has about 80 000 members.
When user Aaron Ramohashi asked members to name the “biggest stinking sellout” they knew, Makhamela answered with one name: “Ramaphosa”.
When her response was shared in another group by user Majola Charles, evidently in praise of her leadership, it led to heated exchanges in which Makhalema made it clear she was not about to withdraw the comment.
User Mkhulu Mbele told her he was disappointed by her conduct as a prominent ANC member and that she was not showing the discipline expected of her. Shirley Machogo then predicted that Makhalema was flirting with being fired, saying: “Someone will soon be jobless.”
Machogo accused her of ill-discipline and alluded to a scandal involving former Free State Premier and now ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule in which Makhalema was reportedly implicated. The mayor, before calling Machogo a “devil worshipper”, claimed she had “nothing to lose” and no longer cared.
In other posts, it is clear that Makhalema is still a staunch supporter of former president Jacob Zuma. Resharing a video of ANC members singing songs in praise of him, she wrote Mshini wami above a post declaring the ANC “NEC made a huge mistake, President Zuma has all the time, he is working the ground.”
In March, News24 ran an article about how Magashule was “caught meddling” in an RDP housing project near Bethlehem “to ensure a company partly owned by his daughter scored contracts worth R150 million from his provincial government”.
The report linked Makhalema closely to the scandal.
The investigation reportedly showed Magashule had allegedly promised locals they would get quality housing “but those in the new houses say they are worse off than before”. They allegedly did not have electricity, water or working toilets despite the huge amount spent on housing them. The scandal allegedly involved Magashule directly in the appointment of a “Chinese” company, Unital Holdings, in the construction of 1 050 RDP houses on land north of Bethlehem. The involvement of Magashule and his provincial government was allegedly detailed in court documents and minutes from council meetings at the Dihlabeng municipality and was corroborated by sources the website spoke to.
Local council and municipality sources described Makhalema, who at the time of the housing deal was the ANC’s chief whip in council, as a key roleplayer in removing the company originally appointed to build the houses and awarding the deal to Unital, which is owned by Magashule’s daughter and a Johannesburg businessperson.
Earlier this year, Dihlabeng said none of its officials had acted improperly. The municipality denied “councillor Lindiwe Makhalema (in her current or previous role as the chief whip) … put undue pressure on any official or ensured the contract with Emendo Inc [the original supplier] was unduly terminated”.
The mayor was unavailable for comment yesterday.